Three New Musicals In Development At Goodspeed Festival

Students from The Hartt School perform in a staged reading of a new musical, "Harmony, Kansas," a show from last year's New Artist Festival at the Goodspeed Opera House

Students from The Hartt School perform in a staged reading of a new musical, "Harmony, Kansas," a show from last year's New Artist Festival at the Goodspeed Opera House

FRANK RIZZO, rizzo@courant.comHartford Courant

The Eighth Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Artists begins its three-day festival of three new works on Friday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Goodspeed Opera House with a staged reading of "Nine Wives," followed on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. with "Come From Away" and concluding Sunday, Jan. 20 at 1 p.m. with "Princesses: a new rock musical."

"Nine Wives" is based on the novel of the same name by Dan Elish, who wrote the show's script and co-wrote the lyrics. Douglas J. Cohen ("The Gig," "Glimmerglass," both at Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre in Chester and "No Way to Treat a Lady" at TheaterWorks in Hartford) composed the music and co-wrote the lyrics.

According to press materials: the show centers on "Henry Mann, a 32-year-old bachelor who discovers that the love of his life has met someone new and is about to get married. What’s worse, he’s been invited to her wedding What follows are Henry’s frantic attempts to find a woman he can take as his date – a potential future wife – to prove to his ex-fiancée (and the world) that he too is ready to move on."\

"Come From Away," which has a book, music and lyrics by David Hein and Irene Sankoff, is described as a rock musical centering on "when 38 planes from around the world were diverted to a small, Canadian community on Sept. 11, 2001 - doubling its population in an instant. While the world witnessed the worst acts of humankind, the stranded passengers had their faith in humanity restored by the spirited people who comforted those who had come from away."

"Princesses, a new rock musical" with a book by Janece Shaffer, Emma Lively and Tyler Beattie and music and lyrics by Lively and Beattie, is described as: "Four outrageous princesses escape the confines of their castle walls and shock the fairy tale world with their unconventional ways." The show is inspired by the Brothers Grimm tale, “The Twelve Dancing Princesses."

Tickets are $15 per show, $10 for students.

Two festival packages that includes other events during the weekend are also available.

The Gold Package for $89 is a pass to all weekend events, including the three staged readings; cabaret performances of new artists on Jan. 18 and 19 at 10 p.m.; a panel discussion with musical theater artists and a choice of festival seminar sessions on Jan. 19 from 10 a.m. to 12:45 at the adjacent Gelston House,; a preview of a new musical headed to The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester in 2013 will be presented Jan. 19 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Goodspeed Opera House; a Jan. 19 pre-show dinner at 5:30 p.m. at the Gelston House; and a Meet-the-Writers reception will be held Jan. 20 at 3:30 p.m.

The Silver Package for $69 includes admission to all three staged readings, the new musical preview and Meet the Writers reception.

Information 860.873.8668 and www.goodspeed.org.

Free Goodspeed Opera House tours will be offered throughout the weekend .

There will also be a symposium on Noel Coward on Jan. 19 at 4 p.m., at the Goodspeed Opera House, which is free and open to the public.

In addition, the "New Artists" program is being held throughout the Goodspeed campus Jan. 7 to 20.During the first week of the program, three teams of writers and composers will dedicate their time to further writing and composing their musicals in development. Senior students from The Hartt School and Boston Conservatory join them for rehearsals and continued development of the material.

The New Artists program culminates with Goodspeed’s Festival of New Artists.